The initiative is composed of three parts: making the case for pre-K education; intensifying efforts to generate pre-K awareness in the three partner states; and reaching out broadly to other states and nationally through the NSBA Annual Conference as well as the state association conferences.
"We are delighted to have this opportunity to partner with The Pew Charitable Trusts and look forward to examining the short- and long-term outcomes of this critical initiative,” Anne L. Bryant, NSBA’s executive director, said. “The states we have chosen to participate in this initiative—Kansas, Ohio, and Texas—represent tremendous potential for opening up the public discussion about pre-K education and NSBA anticipates an enthusiastic response from our participants."
The campaign is designed to result in newspaper editorial coverage; a cadre of districts to act as ambassadors on effective pre-K programs; reports disseminated through various NSBA networks; presentations at national and state conferences; large volume research downloads from the CPE Web site; and CPE hosted webinars and discussion groups.
“Over the past five years The Pew Charitable Trusts has made improving access to high-quality pre-K for all three- and four- year olds one of our top priorities,” said Sara Watson, senior officer of State Policy Initiatives at The Pew Chartable Trusts. “We are proud to partner with the National School Boards Association and the Center for Public Education to help local school boards understand how quality early education programs can help young people succeed in school and in life.”
The Center for Public Education is a unique program that provides balanced, impartial information and research on the challenges and successes in K-12 public education. For more information and resources from the Center, visit http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/ .
Founded in 1940, the National School Boards Association is a not-for profit federation of state associations of school boards representing 95,000 local school board members throughout the United States. Its mission is to foster excellence and equity in public elementary and secondary education through local school board leadership. NSBA represents the school board perspective in working with federal government agencies and national organizations that impact education, and provides vital information and services to state associations of school boards throughout the nation.
The Pew Charitable Trusts serves the public interest by providing information, advancing policy solutions and supporting civic life. Based in Philadelphia, with an office in Washington, D.C., the Trusts will invest $248 million in fiscal year 2007 to provide organizations and citizens with fact-based research and practical solutions for challenging issues. For more information, visit http://www.pewtrusts.org.